People who were Republicans before the late 1960s were not neocons, because neocons were the Democrats who switched sides to the Republicans over foreign policy issues in the 1968 and especially in 1972 over the nomination of McGovern to be the Dem candidate against Nixon.
Ford first ran for congress as a Republican in 1948.
Reagan joined the Republican party officially in 1962, and had given speeches against Medicaid before that.
The timeline doesn't match up for them to be neocons.
People who were Republicans before the late 1960s were not neocons, because neocons were the Democrats who switched sides to the Republicans over foreign policy issues in the 1968 and especially in 1972 over the nomination of McGovern to be the Dem candidate against Nixon.
Ford first ran for congress as a Republican in 1948.
Reagan joined the Republican party officially in 1962, and had given speeches against Medicaid before that.
The timeline doesn't match up for them to be neocons.
You may want to read that again. Then, meaning the ones who came after Reagan.